Casting-ejecting device



Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,595,119 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. PAIG -orrnrnannnrm, rnnnsynvmu.

CASTING-EJ'EOTING DEVICE.

Original application filed October 17, 1925, Serial No. 62,947. Divided and this application fled January 21, 1926. Serial No. 82,674.

This is a division of my application Serial No. 62,947 filed October 17, 1925, for Letters Patent of the United States for improvement in centrifugal casting mechanism, which includes claims for the form of casting mechanism shown in thiscase.

axially movable to distribute the metal therein. Said axially movable mold carries the cast pipe, bell end forward, into engagement with the casting ejecting device which,

' at the conclusion of the casting operation,

grapples the end of the pipe initially cast, to wit, the bell end aforesaid, so that, as the axial movement of the mold is reversed, to return it to its initial casting position; the cast pipe is withdrawn therefrom automatically. Such construction and arrangement are advantageous in saving both space and timel My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In said drawings; Fig. I is an elevation 01" the right hand sideof a centrifugal casting mechanism, in cooperative relation with a casting ejecting mechanism embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary side elevation of the right hand end of the structure shown in Fig. I, but with the pipe grap-' pling device in grappling position, and witha portion of the bell end of the pipe broken away to show the same.

In said figures; a track 1 is formed of a pair of parallel ,rails, preferably inclined, and at an angle of four degrees, to a horizontal plane. The truck frame 3 is protided with four supporting wheels 4, ar-

': ranged to traverse said track; said wheels being separately journaled on respective fixed axles 5 having bases 6'bolted to said truck frame. Said truck frame is conveniently formed of wrought, steel including two opposite longitudinally extending channels 7, connected by two cross channels 9 and 10, respectively at the front and rear ends thereof, and cross bars 11 adjoining-said channel 9. Said cross channels 9 and 1 each supports two roller bearing brackets which are alike, but the brackets on said frame member 9 are marked 12 andv those on said frame member 10 are indicatedat 13. Said brackets 12 and 13 support two shafts 15 which are conveniently held stationary on said. truck frame and support four mold bearing rollers, which'are all alike, but the two at the front end of the machine are marked 16 and the two at the rear end of the machine are marked 17. Said frame 3 and rollers 16 and 17 support the rotary mold 18, which has the annular bearing flange, 19 at its front end engaging said rollers 16 and has the annular bearing flange 21 atv its rear end engaging said rollers 17.

Said mold is conveniently formed of a cut length of cylindrical commercial boiler tube 22 to which the pressed sheet metal bell end member 23 is rigidly connected, conveniently by the annular welded joints 24 and spot welds 25. However, a suitable mold may be otherwise formed. v

In order to form the cast pipe 26 with an interior diameter at its bell end larger than the cylindrical portion of said pipe;

I provide said mold with a tubular core 271.

conveniently formed of a cementitious material carried by the circular plate 28 which is conveniently formed of sheet metal and removably fitted in said bell end member 23 of the mold in which it is detachably secured by a pair of diametrically opposite tapered pins 30, which are removed at the end of each casting operation. r The molten metal is directed into said mold by the pouring trough 47 preferably cooled by water circulating through the pipe 51. Said trough 47 has, at its front end, a strut 57 rigidly connecting it with the casing of the electric motor 58 which is fixed upon the base 59. Said base is rigid- 1y connected with said track rails 1; where-. by said trough 47 is rigidly supported, extending in said mold 18, parallel with the axis of the latter. However, said trough carries the abutment ring 62 in sliding engagement with said -mold,' which prevents said trough 47 from sagging at its rear end andserves as an abutment against which the trough 47, is effected by the rotary screw shaft 65 which is detachably rigidly connected with the armature shaft 66 of said electriomotor 58. Said screw shaft. 65 is conveniently rovided with two threads, of half inch pitc which engage the split nut 69 which is, rigidly connected with said cross channel 9 of said truck frame 3.

The length of the axial traverse of said mold 18 is, of course, determined by the length of said screw shaft 65 which is provided with screw threads 67. However, the length of such traverse is the length of such threaded portion of'said' shaft 65 plus the length of said nut 69. That is to say, during the normal .operation of the machine; said nut 69 reciprocates on said shaft and comes to rest at each end of its traverse when said nut runs off its threads onto the unthreaded portions 73 and 74 at respectively opposite ends of said shaft 65. -Said threads being right handysuch traverse of said mold 18 is effected backward, to the right in Fig. I, when said'shaft 65 is retating' counter-clockwise, as seen from the front of the "machine, and forward movement of said mold is effected by reverse rotation of said shaft. To insure engagement of said. thread with.said nut 69 to initiate such movement in either direction; I provide said shaft 65 with springs 76 and 79 res ectively at the front and rear ends thereo which tend to thrust said nut 69 back onto said threads 67 when it runs off the latter.

Rotary movement of said mold 18 is effected by, the same screwshaft 65 which has a longitudinal keyway engaging a spline keyfixed in the hub of the gear wheel 90 which is engaged with the circular series of gear teeth 91 which are consaid original application; rotary move-.

veniently formed in unitary connection with said annular bearing flange 19 at the front end of said mold. Said gear wheel 90 is supported independently of said shaft but in coaxial relation therewith, in suitable roller bearings. As described at length in ment of said mold 18 is con'veniently'eifected contemporaneously with and independently of the axial movement thereof.

The construction and arrangement above described are such that when said motor 58-is operated to rotate said shaft 65 clockwise as seen from the front of the machine, said mold 18 is shifted toward said motor until the nut 69 runs off the screw thread '67 at the front end of said shaft 65; so

tation of said motor 58; said spring 76 causes said nut 69 and the truck and mold connected therewith to instantly begin to move away from .said motor, if said spring ing' is poured in the mold, by controlling the action of said spring 7 6, as described at length in said original application. However, such details of construction and arrangement are immaterial to the subject matter of this case.

The pouring ladle 104 is mounted to rotate upon the axis of the shaft 105 journaled in the bearings 106 in the stationary frame member 107 which is detachably rigidly connected with the top of the stationary shoot 108 through which the molten metal 109 is directed into said trough 47. Said trough and shoot are rigidly supported by said strut 57 and the arch frame 111 which is rigidly connected with saidtrack rails 1. by suitable tie plates as indicated in F ig. I.

Laid ladle 104 is arranged to be tilted by means described at length in the original application aforesaid and including the link 11 7 and theladle lift screw shaft 120, and

the arrangement is such that pouring movement of said ladle is effected contemporaneously with the backward axial movement of the mold, to the right in Fig. I. However, the arrangement is such that suflicient molten metal 15 initially poured into the mold 18 to properly form the bell end of said pipe 26, in said bell member 23 of the mold, before said mold is withdrawn 'with respect to said trough 47, to the right in Fig. I.

At the end of the casting operation, and

when said mold 18 reaches the extreme limit I of its reciprocatory movement, to the right in Fig. I, it is thus automatically presented in cooperative relation with the pipe grappllng device which includes the rotatable axial support 152, carrying the levers 153" journaled in-the "stationary bearing 157, be-

tween its collars 158 and 159, to'temporarily hold said pipe 26 against axial movement, while the mold 18 is being withdrawn therefrom, frontward, toward the left in Figs. I and II; suchmovement of the mold being effected by reversal of said motor 58. Of course, in such frontward movement of the mold 18, with respect to the trough 17, said abutment ring 62 'bears' against the left hand end of the finished cast pipe 26, preventing movement of the latter to the left. Such forward movement of the mold is preceded by removal of said core plate pins 30,. so that the core 27 and its plate 28' are ejected from the bell member 23 of the mold, by such movement, followed by the discharge of the pipe 26, as the mold travels to the left, to assume its initial pouring position. Said pipe 26 is rolled aside by manipulation of said lever 154. Said support 152 being thus released from the stationary bearing 157, is thereafter released from said pipe 26, by returning said lever 154 to its normal inclined position, indicated in Fig. I, and replaced in its bearing 157 as shown in said figure. The core plate 28 and core 27 may be knocked loose from th pipe thus ejected, and said plate be refurnished with another core 27 to be used again. The operation above described may then be repeated.

In the form of my invention above described,"I have found it convenient to employ an ordinary electric motor 58 to turn said shaft eleven hundred and fifty revolutions per minute; whereby the rearward axial movement of said mold 18 is effected in less than twenty seconds, but such rear-' ward movement is automatically deferred, by the operation of said mechanism until after the pouring operation of the ladle has begun. Therefore, the complete casting operation ofa standard twelve feet long pipe continues approximately one-half minu e. so coordinated, as above described, as to automatically effect the cooperation of the various parts of the casting mechanism with said ejectin mechanism, as described. An advantage 0 such coordination is the elimination of the variations in time of operation of the various parts which hitherto have been manifested in variations in the product. In other words, such coordination permits uniformity in the pipes produced and ejected, b reason of uniformity.

in the operations 0 producing and ejecting them. Moreover, in the use of casting machines of the prior art-which are not thus automatically operative; any one of the operators may retard the operation of the mechanism and thus lessen the production of castings, by failing to cooperate with the other operators in the proper rhythm. For instance, in the use of manually operative pipe ejecting mechanism, in conjunction with ordinary centrifugal casting machines, but without correlation of the casting mechanism with the ejecting mechanism; the productionpf castings may be materially reduced below the capacity of.

the casting mechanism by lack of coordination of the two mec anisms. Therefore, a very important advantage of myv mven- However, all of said movements are.

numerous variable factors which affect the operation of centrifugal casting mechanisms and the various movements above described must be coordinated in accordance therewith. For instance, in the arrangement chosen for illustration; the axis of the mold is inclined four degrees to a horizontal plane, and the cast iron is poured at approximately 2200 F.; but it is obvious that the angle of inclination of themold may be different and the metal poured at a different temperature, provided that the other factors are coordinated therewith.

Although I have illustrated my invention with reference to mechanism including a mold adapted for casting bell end pipe; it is tobe understood that I do not desire to limit myself thereto; as other forms of molds may be employed in interchangeable relation with the other parts of the apparatus above described.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction, arrangement or procedure herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications maybe made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I. claim 2' 1. In centrifugal casting apparatus; means constructed and arranged to automatically grapple a hollow .cast article at one end,

including a rotatable axial support, two

levers fulcrumed in spaced relation and 1ntermediate of their length, on said support, one of said levers being short enough to enter said article, and two links pivotally connected at one end to one of said'levers and at the other end to the other of said levers, and extending in substantially parallel relation with said support.

'2. Incentrifugal casting apparatus; means constructed and arranged to automatically grapple a hollow cast article at one end. including a rotatable support, two levers fulcrumed in spaced relation on said support, one of said levers being short enough to enter said article, and a link pivotally connected casting apparatus; means ate of their length, onsaid support; one of said levers being short enough to enter said article, and two links pivota lly connected at one end to one of said levers and at the other end to the other of said levers, and extend-Y ing in substantially parallel relation with said support; means adapted to present said rotatable support for rotation in coaxial relation with a mold, but constructed and arranged to prevent axial movement of said support in such coaxial relation, including a stationary journal bearing for said support, and collars on said support respectively abutting the opposite ends of said bearing; said bearing having a lateral opening permitting removal of said support in a di-' rection transverse to its axis.

l. In centrifugal casting apparatus; means constructed and arranged to automatically grapple a hollow cast article at one end,inv ,in coaxial relation with amold, but constructed and arranged to prevent axial movement of said support in such coaxial relation, including a stationary journal bearing for said support; said bearing havin a lateral opening permitting removal of sai support in a direction transverse to its axis.

'5. In centrifugalc'a'sting apparatus;means I constructed and arranged to automatically grapple a hollow cast'article at one end,-

while in a rotary mold, including a rotatable support and a lever rotatable with said support, said lever being arranged to be I automatically operated to grapple, by axial movement of sa1d mold; means arranged to normally hold said rotatable support in-coaxial relation with said mold, while preventing axial movement of said support, including a stationary gournalbearing for said axial support, an means on sald'support engaging said bearing; said bearing havin an opening permitting lateral movement 01:

said support to and from said'journal.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, this twentieth day of January 1926.

' ABTHUR I PAIGE. 

